Question: Shading!. help!!?
So I'm pretty good with drawing outlines, line art, etc!. when it comes to drawing for fun!. But I want to take the next step and become good at shading!. Any tips!? I already read up on the whole "light source" stuff!. I like to draw horses, but I have a REALLY hard time muscling them out! I can't decide if the muscle ripples should be shaded light, dark, and whatnot! Any basic rules/help with my shading!? All suggestions appreciated! also, any tips for making drawings in general appear more life-like!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
hi! im so glad ur interested in shading! thats sic - line art is fun, but ur making a gr8 choice 2 move on2 the next level!.!.!.here r some tips 4 u:
-get some good pencils 4 shading:
- at an art store they sell art pencils 4 about 60 cents 2 $1 each, but they r totally worth it
-on the end of each pencil they hav a number & a letter!.!.!.h stands 4 hard: less lead is transferred on2 the paper when an 'h' pencil is used, ther4 the line is lighter - the higer the # b4 the h the lighter it is: eg: 8h is lighter than 2h
-b stands 4 bold - its a softer led & more is transferred on2 the paper making the line darker - the higher the # b4 the b the darker it is: eg: 8b is darker than 2b
here's my guide:
2h-2b r good 4 lite outlining
5b is good 4 medium 2 dark shading
8b is gr8 4 dark shading
a few last tips
when u shade, put ur pencil on its side& rub it against the paper!.!.!.
after u lay down some color, rub ur finger or a tissue against the paper 2 smooth out the shading
dont everb afraid 2 make ur shading very dark in some places & very lite in others!.!.!.this creates contrast!.!.!.contrast is good! u wudnt look @ me & c a white & slightly darker complexion & lemme tell u im a white girl dude!.!.!.lol - there r parts of my face that r in a shadow & will b very dark
try 2 make ur shading as gradual as posible!.!.!.generally speaking shading is not abrupt & gradually becomes darker or lighter!.!.!.there r some exceptions, such as when a direct object is blocking the sunlite!.!.!.
good luck w/ ur shading endeavors!!Www@QuestionHome@Com
Try to avoid outlining on shadows!. Look at your shadow you cast on the ground, it's not an outlined shape, it's a block of dark color, one solid shape!. Drawing things like rib cages, muscle ripples, etc, you should only shade one side of it!. not the whole area, if you shaded everything it would look like big circles!. Don't be afraid to leave parts of your drawing undone!. A good exercise to practice shading is get a black piece of pastel paper or black scratch-board or the like, & then use a white or lite pastel, pencil, chalk & only draw the highlighted parts of your subject, & leave the shadowed areas undrawn (or unscratched if you use scratchboard)!. It really makes nice artwork & helps train our eyes to see differently!. also squint your eyes while looking at your subject, pay attention to what you are really seeing as far as shadows & shapes, not so much of what you think the outline of the horse or whatever you're looking at is!. Then draw those shadows or shapes instead of the actual outline of the figure!.
There's some links below to see examples of what I said above:Www@QuestionHome@Com